Get Football Fever at the Toyota AFL Footy Festival!

It’s almost the last Saturday of September, and that means it’s Grand Final week in Melbourne!

To celebrate the game between the Adelaide Crows and Richmond Tigers, the Toyota AFL Footy Festival is back, bringing the best of Melbourne to the grounds outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

With AFL player appearances, live music, kids activities and some of Melbourne’s best food trucks and chefs serving up great food, there’s something to do for everyone.

What to do at the AFL Footy Festival

Running from Wednesday, September 27th until Grand Final day on Saturday, September 30th, the hub of all things AFL is in Yarra Park, outside Gate 3 of the MCG.

The AFL Footy Festival is divided into five parts:

Toyota Grand Final Parade (Friday, September 29th only)

Come out and see a cavalcade of Toyota HiLuxes parading the players from the Adelaide Crows and the Richmond Tigers taking part in the 2017 Toyota AFL Grand Final on the streets of Melbourne! Starting at 12 noon from the Old Treasury Building and ending on the footsteps of the MCG, the parade also features roving entertainers and marching bands! It’s the perfect way to begin the weekend-long festivities that mark the Grand Final! You can see the full route map below.

Toyota Live Site

Open from 9 am on Wednesday through Saturday, the Live Site will host AFL and AFLW player appearances, giveaways and plenty of food trucks and bars. There’ll also be plenty of games and events – a dunkinator, playground, face painting, and Nintendo marquee where you can meet Mario and play the new Nintendo Switch!
If you don’t have a ticket, it’s the place to go as big screens will be set up and you’ll be able to get to hear the roar of the crowds with each great mark and goal.

Taste of Football

Melbourne’s known for having some amazing food trucks and the best of them will be setting up in the Taste of Football area from Thursday till Saturday!
The B.I.G. Rig from Biggie Smalls will be on site serving up kbabs and Roadhouse by Fancy Hank’s will have Southern-style BBQ. there’ll be Happy Camper Pizza and Taiwanese favourite Ghost Kitchen too!
Finish it all off with a scoot or two of Gelato Messina and maybe even a cheeky drink from Wolf Blass, Yak Ales or Jim Beam!

Kids Zone

Footy is a family event, and the littlest fans will have plenty to keep them busy! When you enter, collect an AFL Kids Rookie passport and complete all the activities to create a personalised footy card.
There’s so much to do! From learning skills at AFL Auskick, jumping around Woolworths inflatable AFL playground with plenty of places to practice handballs and speccys, and finally chilling out in the Nintendo Marquee with Mario.
Don’t forget to find Jerry, Mel, and Dave from Despicable Me 3 in the DM3TM activation area!

What about the free post-match concert at the MCG?

No matter if your team wins or loses, the Virgin Australia Premiership Party is the perfect way to end a great day!

From 6 pm, the gates of the MCG open to the public and The Killers will be rocking out at this free performance.
Get in fast as the event runs from 6 – 8 pm.

Details

Directions: Yarra Park is located adjacent to the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on the Punt Road and Vale Street South side.

By far the easiest way to get to the MCG is by taking the train. Richmond Station is located in the corner of Yarra Park. You can get there on the Alamein, Belgrave, Cranbourne, Frankson, Glen Waverley, Lilydale, Pakenham and Sandringham lines. This is a great option is you are coming from the south-eastern suburbs.

Jolimont Station is located directly outside the MCG. Take the South Morang or Hurstbridge line to get there.

There are tram stations dotted around the MCG. Many of these are free as they are within the FREE Tram Zone. For more information on this check Yarra Trams.

If you are staying in the city or near Federation Square, I highly recommend taking the free tram to the city fringe, Stop 8 on the corner of Spring Street and Flinders Street, and then walking across. It should take about 7-15 minutes.

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This is not a sponsored post. I’m an AFL footy fan (Carn the Mighty Crows!) and Toyota is the AFL’s principal sponsor. All images in this post are owned by the AFL and AFL Media. To all you fans, enjoy the last Saturday of September!

Nicole is a frequent flying (sometimes) freelance writer with a love of aviation, cultural travel, and affordable luxury. When not studying towards her Masters or planning the next adventure she works as Digital Coordinator at one of Australia's top sports teams.

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